Mathematical Digest

Short Summaries of Articles about Mathematicsin the Popular Press

Code-breakers who worked at Bletchley Park during world War II to crackthe Nazi secet codes are now tackling a 10-letter enigma that has perplexedhistorians and code-breakers for 250 years. The letters---O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V. in aline, with the letters D and M beneath on either end---appear on an 18th-centurymonument on an English estate. Some think the code reveals the location of theHoly Grail, others think the letters represent a secret message from one personto another. Mathematician Oliver Lawn---who was recruited to Bletchley Park in1940 while studing mathematics at Cambridge University---is leading the effort.